Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
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A45378
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A burning and a shining light a sermon preached at the funeral of the late reverend Mr. James Wrexham, minister at Haversham in the county of Bucks / by John Hammat.
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Hammat, John, b. 1657 or 8.
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1685
(1685)
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Wing H490; ESTC R9273
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13,378
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41
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your Feet Verily I say unto you it shall be more tolerable for the Land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of Judgment than for that City Vse 3. Thirdly Are Ministers Lights then let Ministers improve the Talents that God hath given them for the Instruction Conversion and Salvation of Souls Mat. 5.15 16. Neither do Men light a Candle and put it under a Bushel but on a Candlestick and it giveth light to all that are in the House Let your light so shine before Men that they may see your good Works and glorifie your Father which is in Heaven Secondly You that have a faithful Minister prize and love him and walk in his Light while ye have him We also had one lately but now he is extinguished take warning by our loss and provoke not God to take away yours likewise I know it is expected that I should speak something of our Reverend Brother I shall not give you a full draught of him Omitting his Justice Temperance c. I shall draw some parts which were extraordinary And this I can do but imperfectly for as Pliny says Pictores absolutain Faciem raro nisi in pejus depingunt Painters seldom paint a very beautiful Face but with disadvantage He was wholly devoted to his Ministerial work not being careful about the Affairs of this World He did as the Apostle Paul exhorted Timothy give himself to reading and studying the Word avoiding Society but with such as might improve him either in his Knowledge or Grace He was Lucerna Legis Evangelii An Apollos mighty in the Scriptures It was his great Delight to study and preach them Before he came to this Parish he constantly preached twice a day and had many Auditours He was both a Boanerges and a Barnabas And God blessed his Ministry for the awaking of Sinners and edifying and comforting of Saints He knew how to divide the Word of God aright and to give to every one his Portion in due season He shined in the Doctrinal part of his Sermon and burned in the Applicatory He preached with such Life and Power as you might perceive he had servent desires to do good to his Auditours both in prayer and preaching he excelled most of his Brethren He was a great admirer of free Grace and delighted to preach and meditate on it and while meditating on it was once as he told a Bosom-Friend he was shy of speaking of such things so ravished in a Journey that for twelve Miles he rode weeping and crying Lord how good art thou how bad am I how good art thou how bad am I and was troubled that his Thoughts were so soon diverted by his arrival to the end of his Journey But he did not alwayes live in Raptures He had his Night and a long and dismal Night it was for it lasted three quarters of a year together It pleased the Lord to exercise him with strange and dreadful Temptations which forced him to retire to his Wives Friends never I believe was Heman or any Saint for the time in greater depths than our blessed Brother was the Arrows of the Almighty stuck fast in him and his Terrours drank up his Spirits None can express the horrour that was in his Soul I have been with him when though he could not do it fully he hath expressed it in such dreadful manner that it was enough to make ones Heart tremble to hear him Oh! said he if I were to lye in Hell but a hundred or a thousand years I should not be so much troubled but Eternity breaks my Heart into ten thousand pieces O I have eaten of the Tree of Knowledge and neglected the Tree of Life and now the flaming Sword turns every way to keep me out of Paradise O said he I am a Pillar of Salt enough to season a Nation the wretchedest the most unfortunate Creature that ever Gods Earth bare I shall be lower in Hell than Cain or Judas or Nero Oh why did the Knees prevent me Why came I out of my Mothers Womb Many such Sentences fell from him Ah Sinners do not your Hearts tremble to hear it If this was done to the green Tree what will be done to the dry If a Saint a Holy Faithful Minister suffered so much what will you suffer unless you repent Oh how apt are Sinners to bless themselves and condemn those who in their lowest estate are a thousand times better than they in their best as the Pharisee censured the Mourner at Christs Feet who was in better Condition than himself But know that a wounded Conscience is better than a stupid Conscience and wholsom trouble than false and rotten Peace But that Gath and Askelon might not rejoyce that the uncircumcised might not triumph God did not leave his Soul in Hell he remembred him in his low estate for his Mercy endureth for ever God restored comfort to his Mourner but by degrees lest he should be overwhelmed a glimmering light breaks into his Soul by which he read the name of God which is the Lord God gracious and merciful c. As he stiles himself in Exod. 34.6 7. He had high Thoughts of the mercy of God which so affected him though he knew not of his Interest in it that he was forced like Joseph to seek a Place to weep in After this his Lips were opened that he might shew forth God's Praise and he preached on Jonah 2.4 Then said I I am cast out of thy sight yet will I look again towards thy holy Temple Soon after while his hope of Mercy was but small God visited him with a very sore sickness in which he was nigh unto Death but the Lord restored him and this dumb Ezekiel prophesied again and was a burning and a shining Light to you amongst whom God setled him according to his desire You among the many thousands of England were the People of his Love and choice For when a Reverend Brother told him in his sickness he came to offer him Preferment Heaven Heaven cry'd this holy Man of God No reply'd his Friend it is Earthly Preferment and where would you have it he readily answer'd at Haversham Oh Haversham how unworthy art thou of the Love and Labours of such a Minister And what sought he here but the Gain of your Souls How did he spend himself for your Salvation How earnestly did he exhort how compassionately warn you how forward was he to instruct and comfort you How ready was he when you were sick to pray for you and relieve you He was a burning and a shining Light I need not say much ye are Witnesses and God also how holily and unblameably he behaved himself among you That little he continued with you he had much Peace in his Soul and comforted others with the Comfort wherewith he himself was comforted of God In his last Sickness he was no less than in his Health concerned for the Happiness of your Souls Frequently did he lift up his Hands and pronounced the Blessing The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ the Love of God the Father and the comfortable Fellowship of God the Holy Ghost be with you all Amen Adding always What would you have more One thing troubled him in his Sickness that Professours should have no more love one for another seeing they are Members of the same Body and are so earnestly pressed by our dear Saviour and by his Apostles to this Duty Is it not enough that the World hates you but you must hate one another such was his concern for you As for himself he was full of Peace and Comfort and freely resigned himself to God saying to his Wife mourning by his Bed this is God's World and we are his Creatures and should not God do in his own World what pleaseth him I asked him whether Jesus was not now sweet to him Oh yes reply'd he unexpressibly sweet A little before his departure I said to him your Body is weak but I hope your Faith is vigorous Yea reply'd he blessed be God it is very vigorous Then I asked whether he had no Cloud nothing of Fear upon him he reply'd no I bless the Lord not any and not long before he told a Friend he did not know one Promise in the Bible that he could not apply to himself Thus we see that Scripture verified Mark the perfect Man and behold the upright for the end of that man is Peace Though God hid his Face from him for a time yet in his last years he had Peace and dyed triumphing over Sin and Satan And now this great Light shines amongst the glorious Lights above while we in this dark Vale bewail our irreparable Loss Help Lord for the godly man ceaseth for the Faithful fail from among the Children of Men. THE EPITAPH HEre lye interr'd a Learned Saint's Remains O the rich Mineral which this Ground contains He had a vast Ambition to be Good That that would make him Great he understood He knew the way to rise was low to fall Who seem'd to aim at nothing aim'd at all Witty he was and Wise His ready Wit To his commanding Judgment did submit God's Book he trusted but Mens Books did try God's Book the Touch-stone was he try'd 'em by God's Book and He how well were they agreed He lick'd the Leaves and they his Soul did feed And that he might be perfect in his Rules He forty weeks learn'd in Temptations Schools He was a Bright Divine Who clearly saw The Precincts of the Gospel and the Law He was an earnest Preacher of the Word As one that knew the Terrours of the Lord. He watch'd his Flock with so concern'd an eye As if he fear'd starv'd Souls revengeful cry Sleep Sacred Dust When Christ shall rend the Skies Then thy concealed Worth with Thee shall rise FINIS
We have says the Apostle this Treasure in earthen Vessels that the excellency of the Power might be of God and not of Man 2. Cor. 4.7 On therefore you that have good Ministers walk in their Light while they shine amongst you for you cannot enjoy them long they will be extinguished Zach. 1.5 Your Fathers where are they and the Prophets do they live for ever No they dye as other Men. Fourthly As they are called Candles because they will burn out so because they waste in giving Light their Spirits and Strength are exhausted in studying and preaching c. It was a great Comfort to our Bishop Jewel of blessed Memory when he was on his Death-Bed that his Body was wasted away in the Labours of his holy Calling the same we may say of our Brother He spent himself in the Work of the Ministry and as St. Austin desired that Death might arrest him aut precantem aut praedicantem either praying or preaching the Sickness that was the Death of our Brother seised him Praedicantem while he was preaching Jer. 6.29 30. The Bellows are burnt that is the Lungs of the Prophets The Lead is consumed of the Fire the Exhortations Affections c. of the Prophets by which they endeavoured to draw the People from their Sins as the Founder by Lead melteth the Silver in order to the purifying it from Dross Wo to those for whom they have been spent in vain Reprobate Silver shall Men call them for the Lord hath rejected them Fifthly and lastly Because there will be no need of Ministers in the Morning of the Resurrection as there is not of Candles when we have the Light of the Sun We expect a brighter time than this before the Resurrection when the Earth shall be filled with the Knowledge of the Lord as the Waters cover the Sea which will be at the re-ingraffing of the Jews but it will not be day untill the Sun of Righteousness comes in the Clouds and therefore even then there will be need of Ministers otherwise God had not appointed as he hath that there should be Pastours and Teachers untill all the Elect are called and the Body of Christ perfected which will not be e're the end of the World Ephes 4.11 12 13. And he gave some Apostles and some Prophets and some Evangelists and some Pastours and Teachers for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministry for the edifying of the Body of Christ till we all come to the Vnity of the Faith and of the Knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect Man unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ To boast that we are above Ordinances as some do e're the Body of Christ is perfected shews Ignorance and Pride and imputes imprudence to the All-wise God in ordering that there should be a Ministry till that time but then when the Body of Christ is edified the Ministry will cease all darkness will be dispelled we shall see Face to Face and know as we are known The second thing to be enquired into is why they are called burning Candles Ans It is because of the Zeal the fervour of their Affections by which they warm the cold benummed Affections of their People and kindle in them good Desires and Resolutions or rather the Spirit of God by them O that there are no more such Ministers How lifeless are the Souls of our People under our Ministry because we do not burn How can we expect that they should be affected with our Sermons when the Word of Life seems to dye in our cold and heartless preaching it Oh that God would fire our Affections that we might be instrumental to kindle good Affections in others I have read of a Man that gave this reason for his forsaking Paris that he perceived their Sermons were every day colder than other so that he feared if he tarried there longer he should be spiritually frozen to death I relate not this to justifie Separatists but to give a hint of the Mischief of careless preaching We want burning Ministers in this frozen Age. Plain Sermons preached with Affection will do more good than the most learned coldly delivered Eusebius tells us of a Heathen that came to an assembly of Bishops to discourse the Articles of Faith and when the learned'st of them looked one upon another fearing to encounter with him because of his acute Parts one esteemed the meanest for Learning with great Ardour of Affection told him that unless he believed in Father Son and Holy Ghost he should be damned and therefore it was in vain to cavil he must subject his carnal Reason to Faith which so wrought upon him that he embraced the Christian Religion and was baptized saying he could answer Reason with Reason but he could not resist the Authority with which that Bishop spake Lucerna ut luceat ardere debet we must burn that we might shine They who have not good Affections do not cannot give light to others into the most spiritual Mysteries of Christianity their Sermons are dry and jejune more like the Discourses of the Heathens than Gospel Sermons It is seldom that they touch upon the Vitals of Religion and when they do it 's superficial and insipid to a sanctified Sence neither do they shine in their Conversations for it is Zeal that makes a Person active for God The third thing to be enquired into is why they are called shining Lamps or Candles Ans It is because they give light by their Doctrine and Example The Learning of some is lost for want of Zeal and the good Affections of others for want of Knowledge and there are some Hypocrites that shine and seem to burn to have a concern for the Glory of God and Happiness of Souls in the Pulpit but darken the light of their Doctrine by their wicked scandalous Conversations Zeal without Knowledge is fitly compared to the Fire of Hell which hath Heat but no Light and they that have Learning and not Grace to the Toad who as Naturalists say hath a Jewel in his Head but Poyson in his Belly Theresore we must both burn and shine have Knowledge Zeal and a holy Conversation Appl. But alas alas are there not some that want a Head and more that want a Heart for God and O that I had not cause to say it too many that want both and are scandalous in their Conversations I know this Age hath afforded as many holy and learned Ministers as any but yet there are too few and therefore they have cause to lament from whom God hath taken a faithful Minister Oh what a Mercy is it to benighted Souls whose way is covered with Snares and who have a seducing Devil whom they are prone to follow to have a faithful Minister to call them when out of the way and shew them the Way of Life and light them along in it What a mercy is it to have a zealous Minister to warm our